I’m in absolute shock. David Lynch, one of the absolute giants of cinema, has passed away at the age of 78. RIP to one of the true geniuses of our time.
The news of Lynch’s passing was confirmed on his official Facebook page.
“It is with deep regret that we, his family, announce the passing of the man and the artist, David Lynch. We would appreciate some privacy at this time. There’s a big hole in the world now that he’s no longer with us. But, as he would say, ‘Keep your eye on the donut and not on the hole.'”
Last year, news broke about Lynch’s emphysema diagnosis and that he might never again be able to direct another movie. Many were devastated by this development. The thought of never seeing another film, or TV show, from him saddened millions. Now, that fate has been sealed.
Lynch, a true visionary artist, had a storied career as a filmmaker, and any list of his seminal works must include “Mulholland Drive,” “Blue Velvet,” “Eraserhead,” “The Elephant Man,” “Twin Peaks,” and “Wild at Heart.” You want more? “Lost Highway,” “The Straight Story,” and “Inland Empire.”
If it’s of any comfort, Lynch’s last film — goddammit, it’s a film! — was his 18-hour magnum opus “Twin Peaks: The Return” — a stunning work of art that was miraculously made on his own terms. It was rumored that he tried to make another project soon after, titled “Wisteria,” but Netflix suddenly decided to cancel it during the pandemic.
I vividly remember the first time I saw “Blue Velvet,” it was as if my mind had been freed, somebody’d kicked open the door to my subconscious. The limitations of storytelling, and cinema, had just been shattered. I had never seen anything quite like it before. That’s Lynch in a nutshell; he made see things you never thought were possible.
One of the key elements in Lynch’s films was the usage of dreams and imagery that veered into the surreal, infusing his work with hypnotic hook While Scorsese obsessed over societal violence, Hitchcock over blondes and Von Sternberg over Dietrich, Lynch’s focus and obsession was always with dreams and the blurring of reality.
In fact, much like Hitchcock and the term “Hitchcockian,” an adjective was popularized for Lynch’s brand of cinema: Lynchian. It’s been copied ad nauseum, by an innumerable amount of filmmakers, but none did it better. He might very well be the most influential filmmaker of our time. His wild and imaginative mind will live on forever.
“I believe life is a continuum, and that no one really dies, they just drop their physical body and we'll all meet again” — David Lynch
Edward Berger seems to have settled on what comes next. His Lance Armstrong biopic, starring Austin Butler, is now holding casting calls, with production eyed for January.